I think that while a transformer may scan a car and have an alt mode just like it, it's not the same. To me it's the shell that matches the car but the stuff that's under the shell is completely different. An Autobot has no engine, no gas tank, no mp3/cd player or built in dvd player nor do they have fully adjustable seats, seat belts and no cup holders. I feel they only imitate a vehicles shell and nothing more, they do this in order to blend in not get faster or anything. If they want to get faster they can upgrade components, wear lighter armor plating etc.

A big bot would have to choose a big alt mode to not look conspicuous. Also I feel the reason more bots don't pick jet modes is because they lack the necessary propulsion systems needed for take off, in other words if a bot is equipped with the gear to make tires spin he sure isn't gonna be able to take off with a jet mode unless he installs a propulsion system in place of the system used to spin the wheels. A bot with a propulsion system wouldnt be able to use a wheeled mode. Same applies to those with chopper modes etc.

I also think that a bot could not run around unarmed, scan a tank and transform and start firing off shells. He'd have to have a weapons system installed such as an ion cannon or beam cannon etc. To me this makes a lot of sense as to why some bots have cannons present in their bot mode. I think a bot without a integrated heavy weapons system who scanned a tank as an alt mode would look like a tank with a sawed off barrel.

Triple Changers have a wider variety of alt modes to choose from as they use a different set up. Thought they a variable transformation system they also have weaknesses due to this system being installed, such as burning through energy quicker and reduced attributes for each mode such as a triple changer who turned into a jet would not be able to keep the same pace as a regular transformer with only a jet alt mode. These sacrifices are to make them more versatile on and off the battlefield as they can fit a wider scope of roles.

Beast Modes are best for places with hostile environments where vehicles would not cut it, which is why the Dinobots took dino modes when they landed on earth millions of years ago. Beast modes use a processing chip to help a bot control any limbs they didnt have before as well as imitate instincts and animal behavior to help a beast bot better navigate their body and utilize it properly. This system sometimes clashes with their personality chips which is why some beast bots prefer to stay in beast mode.

Hehe, I'm just saying that because Star Trek fics usually have absurd amounts of pseudo-science that semi-plausibly explains stuff that doesn't technically exist in the real world, and you seem to have a knack for that.

To me it seems the "travel modes" the maximals and predacons had were just part from their pre-beast modes that the transwarp explosion brought back to the surface.

Megatron was a hover tank before he was T-rex so to me that explains his VTOL system and the skates were probably something like landing gear or maybe something he had added on for personal uses/reasons.

Cheetor was a cybertronian car before he was a cheetah, the fold out thrusters he had were probably fold out thrusters he used in car mode to make long jumps or used for endured boosts of speed hence why they weren't perfect for flying and the lack of stabilizing thrusters.

Tarantulas was a multi-wheeled transport before the beast wars.

Rattrap was a motorcycle before the Beast Wars, his wheels split into 2 for his robot mode and since they were unneeded for his beast mode there was no reason for the modules to recombine thus giving him 4 wheels in his travel mode.

Depthcharge more than likely was a Cybertronian jet.

Rampage more than likely had the mode of a Cybertronian tank.

Optimus Primal's hoverboard was more than likely a built in component his new protoform already had built into it or had a preexisting alt mode.

Fuzors: I believe the Fuzors were actually triple changers, but the damaged scanners resulted in what would have been 2 alt modes being combined into a single fuzed alt mode.

but now i think they scan the whole car. It helps them blend. If you walk up to Nissan 350Z and nothing was inside then you would say WTF! Now look in series. G1, Hound drove people around. Movie you saw the interiors of the cars, sam and mikela rode in bumblebee, ironhide drove capt. lennox around. Animated sari always rides in bumblebee. So other than the alt mode being a shell the rest of the stuff sounds good.

when i was a kid watching the show,i always thought the interior of theyr vehicle modes looked uncomfortable like they werent supposed to be comfortable or something.

kinda like the seats were probably made of metal or some kind of plastic.

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Pretty much, I honestly see no reason a transformer would scan a car and end up copying everything about it right down to a T. It's mostly just for a disguise, the cars may have seats in them but under the hood it's cybertonian. Can't imagine a transformer going from full metal to a car with leather seats it just doesn't make sense.

As far as I can tell, Transformers seem to be able to copy any aspect of a scanned vehicle they feel like, or at least whatever suits the narrative. While they may not precisely duplicate organic components such as leather seats or sheepskin covers, they could use metallic/ceramic meshes to simulate the correct properties to a degree.

In the assorted cartoons and comics, Transformers sometimes seem to look completely normal under the hood (or at least don't make mechanics look twice), and sometimes completely alien. The Aerialbots got almost completely disassembled without comment by people who thought they were normal aircraft. Buster's been noted to think Bumblebee's componentry is weird but at least partially repairable when he thought the Autobot was just a Volkswagen. Assorted Autobots have been worked on by a number of humans who didn't seem to have any qualms about diving in with wrenches.

As for weaponry, it seems that simply scanning a new mode will instantly supply ammo for whatever the new weaponry is. At least, the Cybertron Defense Team might argue that.

There doesn't seem to be any particular limitation on what kind of altmode a Transformer can scan/upgrade to and acquire the correct subsystems for. The quantum surge and Optimal upgrades in Beast Wars, in particular, point to this.

Vehicle entertainment/electronic systems - wasn't it Animated Bumblebee who didn't know he had a police scanner until it started picking up information?

In summary, although it's quite possible to construct a cohesive technical approach to what Transformers should and should not be able to reproduce in their altmodes, it tends to get a truck driven through the middle of it every time the writers decide it would just be more convenient to have the exact degree of replication handwaved.

I'd guess that unless something is specifically stated to be otherwise, Cybertronian altmodes are completely indistinguishable from the relevant Earth vehicle to a level undetectable by mid-level Earth technology, basic Cybertronian scans, and human senses. As a side-effect, their transformations have an internal component to them, so that they go from vehicle-with-Earth-looking-guts to vehicle-with-Cybertronian-guts to robot.

I suppose it might even be possible to pause the transformation at the Earth-shell, alien-innards stage in order to get more oomph out of their altmodes at the cost of showing up on Cybertronian scans (and probably looking weird to any Earth mechanics). Useful for firefights or escaping, when your cover's already been blown.

but now i think they scan the whole car. It helps them blend. If you walk up to Nissan 350Z and nothing was inside then you would say WTF! Now look in series. G1, Hound drove people around. Movie you saw the interiors of the cars, sam and mikela rode in bumblebee, ironhide drove capt. lennox around. Animated sari always rides in bumblebee

when i was a kid watching the show,i always thought the interior of theyr vehicle modes looked uncomfortable like they werent supposed to be comfortable or something.
kinda like the seats were probably made of metal or some kind of plastic

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Exactly! I felt the same way. I was sure that whatever interiors they had, were minimal and non-functional.

In summary, although it's quite possible to construct a cohesive technical approach to what Transformers should and should not be able to reproduce in their altmodes, it tends to get a truck driven through the middle of it every time the writers decide it would just be more convenient to have the exact degree of replication handwaved

When I transform Alternators Jazz/Meister, I know that a full robot can successfully hide inside a car WITHOUT forgoing the radio, seats, parking break(!), etc., so I don't see why one would have to exclude these details.

I like to think that when energy is scarce, Decepticons go on raids and steal materials from real cars, so they don't have to replicate it themselves. Imagine a car, exactly like the one you own, driving up beside yours, turning into a robot, ripping off the passenger side door and removing the seats, attaching them to it's knees. Then it changes back and drives off with it's "newly refurbished interior"!

This is exactly why I've always liked the G1/Classics style of Transformers better than, for example, the Alternators or Movie style of design & function. IMO, the alt modes are (or should be) nothing more than a convincing outward facade... like a costume... a mimic. They shouldn't need or require backseats, steering wheels, trunks or hoods that open, engines, glass windows, etc. or anything else that accomodates any hypothetical human passengers.

For as much as I *do* love the Alternators line - ironically still more 'real world' & beleivable than ANY Movie toy that ever came out... go figure - the presence of real car parts really takes away a lot of bulk & mass that could have been there otherwise.